winapp-identity

When to use

Use this skill when:

• The exe is separate from your app code — e.g., Electron apps where electron.exe is in node_modules, not your build output
• Testing sparse package behavior specifically — AllowExternalContent, TrustedLaunch, etc.
• Registering identity without copying files — create-debug-identity leaves the exe in place

Prefer winapp run for most frameworks. If your exe is inside your build output folder (.NET, C++, Rust, Flutter, Tauri), use winapp run <build-output> instead — it registers a full loose layout package and launches the app, simulating an MSIX install. Use create-debug-identity only when winapp run doesn't fit your scenario.

Prerequisites

1. Package.appxmanifest in your project — from winapp init or winapp manifest generate
2. Built executable — the .exe your app runs from

What is package identity?

Windows package identity enables your app to use restricted APIs and OS integration features:

• Push notifications (WNS)
• Background tasks
• Share target / share source
• App startup tasks
• Taskbar pinning
• Windows AI APIs (Phi Silica, OCR, etc.)
• File type associations registered properly in Settings

A standard .exe (from dotnet build, cmake, etc.) does not have identity. create-debug-identity registers a sparse package with Windows — the exe stays in its original location and Windows associates identity with it via Add-AppxPackage -ExternalLocation. This is different from winapp run, which copies files into a loose layout package.

Usage

Basic usage

# Register sparse package for your exe (manifest auto-detected from current dir)
winapp create-debug-identity ./bin/Release/myapp.exe

# Specify manifest location
winapp create-debug-identity ./bin/Release/myapp.exe --manifest ./Package.appxmanifest

Keep the original package identity

# By default, '.debug' is appended to the package name to avoid conflicts with
# an installed MSIX version. Use --keep-identity to keep the manifest identity as-is.
winapp create-debug-identity ./myapp.exe --keep-identity